


If Heaven and Hell Decide

by selfinduced



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M, jalecsecretsanta2017
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-02-23 03:38:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13181568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/selfinduced/pseuds/selfinduced
Summary: “Jace can battle demons with one hand while holding his own gut wound closed with the other so his intestines don’t spill out. He doesn’t react to pain like normal people. He said Alec is dying.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EquusGirl0621](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EquusGirl0621/gifts).



> Happy Christmas EquusGirl0621! Don't worry, no one actually dies, even in the as yet unposted chapters!

JACE

It’s 5am, a little early for breakfast on a night without hunts, but they’ve become so used to the constant onslaught of demon attacks during the past few weeks that they don’t really know how to go back to a time when there were actual nights without hunts. Izzy’s in the kitchen first, trying to concoct some breakfast food that Jace fully plans to escape by stuffing himself with pancakes first. Pain arcs through him like lightning and he sends the buffet table crashing through the cafeteria.

" _ALEC_!" the name rips out of him as he feels his heart stutter. Alec's heartbeat is weakening. Jace feels him fall. Feels the unimaginable pain of death ripping at their parabatai bond—again. And he’s the one conscious this time. Jace swallows and goes deathly still. “Clary, portal me to Waterside Plaza.”

“What—”

 --

CLARY

She doesn’t get a chance to voice her confusion before Isabelle cuts in, “Please, Clary. Alec must be in trouble.”

Jace’s voice, as he calmly takes out his back up blades—the ones he keeps hidden on his body at all times—and steps into the portal Clary opens, sounds chillingly empty and vast, “Alec is dying.”

Clary doesn’t have time to reconsider her own pajama-clad state before following Izzy and Parish and Gaines through her own portal out onto the cold wet concrete of Waterside Plaza at this side of dawn.

What looks like a solid wall of demons come flying, at them, spreading out in a wave away from the path Jace is blazing on the sidewalk, his seraph blade a blur as it spins with inhuman speed, killing everything in sight with smooth efficiency until Izzy and Clary can join him back to back. A wave of violet fire joins them—Magnus. Alec must have been on his way back to the Institute from visiting him at the Loft, and Magnus had known somehow that he was in trouble.

 

He glances at Jace and looks at Izzy. “He seems calm. Alec must be doing ok--”

Izzy is shaking her head, silent tears streaming down her otherwise expressionless face as her whip lashes relentlessly out at the shadows around them. “Jace can battle demons with one hand while holding his own gut wound closed with the other so his intestines don’t spill out. He doesn’t react to pain like normal people. He said Alec is dying.”  

“There,” Clary shouts, waving the other shadowhunters into a protective circle, but Jace has already flipped up above the crowd to land next to Alec’s body. 

\-- 

JACE

The ice in his veins seeps out as he covers Alec in iratzes, over and over, hands shaking as he activates them by thought only, without lifting his stele from the task of drawing the next rune, and they glow. They all glow. Bright and brighter until Alec is a blinding sun in the middle of the plaza, and Jace feels his pulse return, thready and weak but palpable. Alec is in his arms, and Jace can feel him, can hold him and touch him and breathe him in, and he pours himself into it, into that whisper of a pulse, until it becomes breath, attached to his own, every rune that could help him heal activating all at once on both Alec and himself until they're one glow indistinguishable as two bodies.

Time becomes inconsequential in the river of light. He only knows to feed everything he is into Alec, holding him tight in the current that seems to be tugging at Alec, knowing that he would rather get pulled along with him than let go. _Not him. I can't live without him. I won't._  

-

He wakes to Alec's hand on his forehead, but when he tries to open his eyes to see him, he can’t move his eyelids.

The next time he wakes, he manages to move his fingers, brushing them against Alec's.

He still can't open his eyes, but he can sense Alec on his knees next to the bed, head lying next to his, hand curled around his own. Alec lifts his head, weak, but jubilant. "You idiot." Alec moves his face next to Jace's, nose touching his cheek. Jace turns his head so he can push his face into Alec's before falling back asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

ALEC

Alec has already given up on all the blankets in the infirmary and tested the habitable limits of the heat rune before climbing into the cot himself, trying to hold on to a Jace who is shivering so hard it wakes him up unless Alec is touching him. He burrows into Alec's arms, fever burning through him, or maybe it’s the heavenly fire, still. "Jace," Alec whispers roughly, "I have you, Jace.”

" _Alec._ " he cries out, and Alec can _feel_ the fear of loss taking his parabatai again, threatening to sweep him under.

"I'm here. Jace. I'm okay."

He opens his eyes and wakes up fitfully, clutching at Alec, trying to climb into him. "I thought." 

"Shh. I have you."

"I love." Jace breathes harshly, "Alec, I--"

"I know." Alec kisses his forehead, letting him burrow as close as he wants, "I'm okay."

 

But Jace isn’t.

 

It’s been weeks and both Lydia _and_ Aldertree have come to “help” Alec run things since Jace has shown no signs of improvement and the hours Alec has been spending in the infirmary stayed constant. Alec doesn’t mind the two of them in charge—they seem to be keeping each other in check, and Alec knows he’s in no state to head the Institute himself right now. 

He changes Jace’s clothes, hasn't so much as let anyone else change his sheets, not even Izzy. A parade of warlocks and healers—Magnus called in everyone he could think of, including Jace’s apparent ancestor Tessa who has experience with parabatai bonds--and Silent Brothers passed through. None of them had answers. 

The days blurred and he slept in fits and starts, at first in a chair, and these days, mostly in the cot with Jace. Jace, who was pale and cold and deathly silent until today, when Alec put his hand on Jace’s side, on bare skin and his parabatai rune, head hanging as he remembered being in a river of light, and Jace clinging to him.

Then began the shivering, and fits of waking up, too weak to move himself. 

-

"Alec," Jace says softly, in a rare moment of lucidity, holding his wrist to stop him from moving away.

Alec avoids his eyes, tries to feed him instead.

"Will you kiss me?" Jace looks uncharacteristically shy and it makes Alec almost laugh hysterically that he can feel something so silly as embarrassment when he's probably dying, "Just this once. I don't think Magnus will mind you granting a last request."

Alec glares, "Don't be dramatic. And no, Magnus and I aren’t—” he gestures wordlessly, “anymore. It's fine.” He sighs and puts away the broth when Jace won’t take it. “You’re getting better. And if teasing me makes you feel better,” he rolls his eyes and leans down and kisses Jace's forehead, quickly, intending to move away.

But Jace brings his hands up, catching his jaw, and it’s nowhere near strong enough to hold Alec, but he wouldn’t move out of that weak hold for the world. He closes his eyes, lashes brushing down Jace’s cheek, mouth hovering over his, and Jace catches it, drawing him down until Alec is kissing him and kissing him, climbing onto the bed, wrapping around him, wishing he could pour his strength into Jace the way he'd taken it, wishing he'd never gotten it in the first place, wishing Jace could take it back and get better.

He feels warmth on his side and drags his mouth away to look down. His parabatai rune is glowing. Both of theirs are. Along with all the healing runes on Jace's body that he'd drawn over and over in the last month.

And Jace's cheeks are filling with color, his skin darkening to a healthier shade, eyes glowing gold.

"Your eyes are glowing like mine do. Are you activating my runes?" even Jace’s voice sounds stronger.

"I think so?" Alec frowns, and his eyes dim, as do Jace's runes. Jace stops healing. Alec panics and tries to focus, kissing him again, and it's back. Jace is kissing him back, hard, lifting up in bed and pulling Alec onto his lap and Alec goes with it, has never wanted anything more in his whole life than to have Jace’s arms around him like this again, strong and capable and his mouth open and moving sweeter than he'd ever imagined--

Jace lifts his hands to look at them, and sits up. "Dude."

Alec can't help it, he shoves him. " _That's_ what you say? _Dude?_ "

"You just healed me like a sleeping princess! We have superpowers or something!"

Alec is too busy checking him all over, looking for all the little changes, helping him get out of bed, picking him up and swinging him around, to make fun of him.

Jace kisses him, going up on his tiptoes and pulling at Alec, not that he has to pull hard, Alec is already lifting him up by the waist to kiss back. "Sorry," Jace is breathless, "I can't help it--"

Alec brushes his knuckles down Jace's cheek, "It's okay. I want you to." he's surprised to see a flash of vulnerability in him that he wouldn't be sure of if he didn't feel Jace feeling it as well. "There's no one else."

"Oh." Jace looks at him searchingly, "Are you okay? Is it--" _because you've been spending too much time with me?_   He doesn't have to say for Alec to hear it.

Alec shakes his head, grinning. He realizes his face hurts from smiling and he can’t stop, it feels like the sun rising, clearing away every darkness, every fear, "I'm fine. Now that you are."

Jace reaches up at his face and he moves down into it, eager for his touch, maybe more kissing, maybe— 

 

“Jace, oh my God,” it’s Izzy who comes in first of course, she’s here almost as often as Alec. She probably doesn’t even notice the way Alec jumps away, and right behind her is Max, and not surprisingly, Imogen, who portalled in as soon as she heard Jace was waking up, and as Alec steps back and lets everyone else look at Jace, the full weight of what he has just done—what he had thoughtlessly reached for more of—crashes down on him. 

He kissed his _parabatai_. A thousand taboos, the Clave, the danger of corrupting their bond with madness—all of it had flown out of his head the moment Jace had asked him to, and it had been just as all consuming as he’s always feared.

 

Alec turns to leave the infirmary, breaking into a run as he hits the hallway, and doesn’t stop for a very long time.


	3. Chapter 3

JACE

Jace finds him in the office. He heard from Lydia that she and Aldertree had taken over for a while, but they left for Idris along with his grandmother today, and Alec is back to running things full time.

He’s still watching Jace like a hawk, of course, passing by the sparring rooms, the training sessions Jace has with the new trainees—everywhere Jace goes, Alec is makes an appearance. But every time Jace tries to get within speaking distance, he’s busy—and truthfully there’s a lot to keep busy with, in the aftermath of the almost-war. The fact that Alec is having to catch up to it because he spent all this time taking care of Jace—the guilt alone has made Jace stay away for several days.

But tonight he has a plan.

 

“Hey,” Alec looks up at him. The red sunset catches his eyes and Jace loses his breath, and almost loses his resolve. “I can’t spar, but Iz is probably free—”

“I’m not here to ask you to spar. I have trainee reports.” Jace brandishes a box, “And pizza.” He closes the door behind him and locks it. “Don’t tell me you’re not hungry, I know you haven’t taken any breaks to eat all day.”

“Jace—”

Jace holds up a hand, and dives in before he can chicken out, “You’ve been avoiding me. I know why. And you don’t have to. We’re good. Let’s eat pizza and—” he motions with one hand as if to say _go back to the way we were_. 

Bizarrely enough, it works.

 

They talk late into the night about council policies and how to manage logistics with the incoming trainees and restoration and reparation efforts for the downworlders, and it’s like old times. And if Jace is careful to sit on the opposite side of Alec’s desk instead of leaning against it right in front of him, to clasp his hands together so he doesn’t accidentally reach out and brush Alec’s arm or squeeze his shoulder or god forbid—brush that stray lock of hair off his forehead—well, it’s normal enough.

 

Alec is the one to suggest they spar instead of heading to bed.

 

He’s too careful with Jace, blows pausing before they can connect, hands hesitant to make contact, and for one absolutely ridiculous moment, a flip where instead of letting Jace land on the floor, he tries to _catch him._ Jace laughs and pulls him in to throw him down on his ass. Again and again, pushing farther and farther into his space until he has the taller shadowhunter pinned, putting his whole body-weight on Alec’s thighs to keep him from getting up, hands on Alec’s forearms, breathing hard as he looks down at Alec, who is staring equally intensely at him.

Jace jumps off him and takes off, but it’s too late. Alec already felt it, the thought about his mouth, and Alec's, the sharp pang of _want_ that he isn’t even sure is only his own, that had come to his mind unbidden and somehow traveled over through their parabatai bond. 

 

By the time he reaches the door to his bedroom, Alec is right there behind him, pushing him inside, turning him to push him again, up against the door, sounding tortured and determined all at once as he reaches for Jace’s face, “I have to do this, I can’t not.”

“Oh thank god,” Jace surges up against him, kissing the words out of Alec’s mouth.

 


	4. Chapter 4

ALEC

“I almost lost you,” once he’s started touching, Alec seems to be unable to stop, “You didn’t tell me about Lake Lyn, you _lied about dying_ and now you risked your life _again_ —” his hands clench in Jace’s shirt, face closing up with pain.

“Hey, I’m here,” Jace holds his face, cupping his jaw, “You’re right, I was gone, but Clary—"

“What, she brought you back by kissing you too?”

“What?” Jace doesn’t manage to quite stop a laugh, “ _Alec_ , no, you _know_ what happened with Raziel and why I didn’t want to tell you, so you wouldn’t have to answer to the Clave, be held responsible—and it didn’t work out with her, you know that. As for you--” his voice softens, going low and sweet, saying “Alec,” like his very name is an endearment. “We’re always going to be at risk. I did exactly what you would have done if it was me.” He leans his forehead against Alec’s, who closes his eyes and leans into the touch. “I could never let you go.”

“Yeah,” Alec makes a soft sound, pressing his face into Jace’s hand, “Jace if we do this—”

“What? The Clave? Who’s going to tell them?” Jace runs his hand down the front of Alec’s t-shirt, pulling him closer by the belt-loops on his pants.

“There are _reasons_ behind the Clave’s laws—reasons we might not even know,” he starts, even as he moves between Jace’s opened legs and rests a hand on the door behind him. 

Jace kisses his jaw, fingers brushing light and hopeful under the edge of his shirt, “Growing up, all those years, I could never make you choose. It was hard enough for you to come out—I was so proud of you when you did—I could never make it harder.” _By asking you to be with me_ , he doesn’t say. _Because I could sleep around and do whatever I wanted, but you were the Lightwood heir. You were going to lead the institute someday,_ “I could never take you away from that, but I’m always going to be yours first, before anyone else. And if you actually want me--”

“I’ve always wanted you,” Alec shakes his head, trailing fingers down Jace’s cheek, hooking under his chin, “I choose you every time.”

 

He revels in the way Jace melts into his touch, hair untucking from behind his ear, steri-strips on his cheek over cuts, and Alec thumbs them, pulls him in, pulls at him until his shirt is off and he’s arching up under Alec’s hands, neck bare and shoulder curved so vulnerable Alec kisses gently, still afraid to hurt him, even after Jace has been throwing him down on the training mat over and over to show him how recovered he is. He noses at Jace’s neck, pressing hands to the small of his back until his hips come up to Alec’s—and he makes a low sound in his throat that makes Alec crazy.

Jace touches his face, and Alec shivers when the blunt ends of his nails reach the back of his neck, scratching light, making him bend, press his lips fully onto Jace’s skin, grazing with teeth, ravenous just from watching the way his throat moves when he swallows.

And of course Jace knows, can feel his hunger, just like he can feel Jace's, every taste, every touch echoed and amplified until he forgets that breathing was ever a priority, thinks that it was inevitable that they would be like this, an ocean of want held back for years and years bound to rise up and flood them at the first chance. Jace touching his back, tugging up his shirt the rest of the way over his head, trailing his fingers over Alec like feeling out a map he knows by heart, and Alec's palms over his heartbeat and his parabatai rune, spreading until it’s impossible to separate who's hands and skin, as if he’s already inside of Alec’s body and Alec is inside him, and time has no meaning.

He lets Jace walk him backwards into the bed, minutes, maybe years later, wants to throw him onto it, crawl on top of him-- _later_ , he thinks, this time, he falls back, taking Jace with him, knows that him not pushing is driving Jace crazy, but he can’t get over seeing Jace unmoving on that infirmary bed, and it's good for him to wait, really, good for _him_ to be desperate for once.

 _I've always been desperate for you_ , this close, he can feel Jace's thoughts as if they're individual words, and Alec bites an unrepentant grin into his shoulder, lifting to let Jace's hands fit down the back of his pants, under his ass.

He knows all the people Jace has been with, has seethed over every single one, hated himself for the way he’d inevitably ended up with a hand down his own pants no matter how much he tried not to, riding the waves of Jace’s release--

_I liked sharing with you, feeling you there closer than anyone else could ever be even when I was inside of them._

_Of course you did,_ he could say uncomplimentary words but none of them would hide his fondness, his affection, the years of longing as he had tried to hide his resentment in a backdrop of constant testiness until Magnus, who made him smile and laugh and have his own pleasure unprompted by Jace with someone else. Magnus, who had been kind and gentle but firm when he'd left Alec in the infirmary with Catarina in charge, told Alec that they were ok, that he'd be there for Jace, but that he needed space from Alec, from what they could never be, and he hadn't had the presence of mind to think anything but that it was fair and that he needed to go back to check if Jace was breathing.

 

Jace pulls back, lips dark and swollen and wet, tilting his head like he’s listening, “You sure this is ok? Maybe we should--”

“I wanted you for so long," Alec shakes his head, voice thick and hushed, "I tried to convince myself it was fine but it wasn’t and Magnus knew and I denied it, I never thought we’d—” Alec lifts up to bite at his lower lip, sucking it into his mouth  “Sorry,” he mumbles, “wanted to kiss you and realized I didn't have to stop myself--" he moans when Jace licks into his mouth, stroking his tongue against Alec’s like he couldn’t wait either, couldn't stand being apart, pressing down into Alec, between his legs, and Alec wraps around him instinctively, welcoming his parabatai into himself, opening up for him like he's opened up his mouth, swallowing Jace's swearing, chasing after him as he lifts his head only to drop it forward.

"Alec, I want--"

“I know,” Alec whispers, lifting up to graze his teeth on an earlobe, making Jace arch his back and grind down into him.

“Should we,” Jace pushes his face into Alec’s neck, “Slow down--"

But it's a flimsy attempt at reason, and when Alec makes a guttural sound and rolls his hips up, he digs a hand under Alec's neck and comes right back for his mouth until they're both moaning, Alec's hand reaching down to his ass to pull him down and closer until they slot up perfectly through layers of cloth, making him lose all reason.

 

Jace looks up at him with molten eyes, thin rims of blue and brown around widening pools of black, and thrusts shallowly, “Jesus, _Alec_.” He sounds as wrecked as he looks, hair a mess from sweat and Alec's hands, falling to one side of his flushed face--mouth open and red like he can't get enough air, and Alec's favorite--the reddened marks where Alec bit above his collarbone over his soundless rune, the base of his throat next to speed, his shoulder bare and unclaimed territory. 

Alec wants to climb inside of him, tightening his arms around Jace to pull him down and Jace is right there with him, thrusts shallow but unrelenting, heat and pressure and a glowing star-shaped mark on Jace's shoulder that gets brighter and brighter until Alec thinks maybe he's seeing fireworks or lightning but it's not metaphorical--it's--

 

He’s coming and Jace is coming and he can smell smoke and when he opens his eyes, the bookshelf has a hole scorched clean through as if a lightning bolt had struck it on it's way into the fireplace where there's now a fire that they didn't set.

Jace looks from the fire back up to Alec’s face, panting almost sheepishly. "I think that was me."

Alec is just as bad at catching his breath, “We should probably figure out the details of what happens when parabatai—”

Jace rolls his head to turn and watch him flounder, infuriating smirk spreading on his face.

“--Do what we just did.”

"Really. No words." Jace shimmies up his chest to press his mouth to Alec's, lips clinging together from proximity more than movement, and Alec rolls his eyes.

“Later.” he decides, finding it hard to get worked up about anything. "Maybe tomorrow."

 


	5. Chapter 5

Alec wakes slowly, for once, after the sun is already up. Jace’s room faces east, which suits his irritating ability to sleep through the bright light, sprawled across most of the bed, including on top of Alec. Alec presses closer, nuzzling his hair, breathing him in. He’s at once pleasantly sleepy and heavy and yet brimming with energy, like a freshly drawn stamina rune. _There’s an idea_ , he smiles, mouthing the back of Jace’s neck, his shoulders, as he reaches for his stele, hands moving over what seems like miles of bare skin, just waiting for him.

Jace’s hand comes up to catch him just as Alec reaches the spot on his side where he’s ticklish, flipping Alec, and Alec goes with it, easy and warm and catching Jace’s laughing mouth in a kiss, hands in the mess of golden hair falling across his face. Jace moves into his touch and Alec will never get tired of this, reveling in the softness, the breathless way he says "Alec," when Alec kisses his palm, grazing his knuckles against Jace’s thigh sliding up between his own, fingers finding purchase on his chest. Then Alec hooks his fingers in Jace’s boxers and has no choice but to tug down and Jace bites his neck, making Alec groan with heat, bucking his hips up against Jace.

"Alec, stop," Jace groans, "Lightning, remember?"

Alec doesn't want to remember, but the smell of singed carpet and burnt bookshelf are still in the room, as are embers from the fire in the fireplace they most definitely did not light.

-

His search of all the databases he has access to from the Institute turn up nothing, and by the time Jace is home, triumphant and covered in demon ichor, Alec, in the process of keeping himself from either going out to the East Village after him or calling him every few minutes, has been loitering in the hallway near his bedroom, “taking a walk” while reading updates from Alicante.

“You should just give me the report now,” Alec follows him into his bedroom, leaning back against the door he kicks shut behind him.

“Okay,” Jace comes to stand before him, and Alec really has nowhere to put his hands but on his waist as he talks, and it’s only when Jace makes a strangled sound when Alec undoes the button he’s been fiddling with—the one at the top of the zipper to his jeans—that Alec realizes where his hands are.

“Sorry,” he tries, not feeling sorry at all because what are you supposed to do with buttons but undo them?

And then Jace licks his lips and Alec is on him before he knows it. Licking them for him, biting, claiming, taking, until Jace cries out with it, falling back onto his desk. Alec lifts him on top of it, “I have work to finish before dinner.”

Jace nods, arching his head back helpfully so Alec can kiss his neck, "And I should go shower."

“I can help,” Alec tells him. "I'm going to take off all your clothes."

“Yeah?”

"Then I'm gonna go finish paperwork,"

"Oh," Jace sounds less enthusiastic about this part of the plan.

"But we're going to make out first," he amends, kissing away the look of disappointment.

"Yeah good idea."

 

Alec gets his jacket and all the layers of shirts off and then his hands are right back to the top of Jace's pants, and he might as well finish the job, he thinks, kissing his way down, "And I'm gonna go down on you,” he tells Jace’s thigh holsters as he unbuckles them, tugging his pants the rest of the way off, “just a little, not enough to,” Alec bites his lips, staring at how hard Jace is, losing his train of thought as he moves forward to kiss the head, finding the velvety smooth skin and the soft little whine Jace makes above him addicting. Making up for not getting to touch Jace last night, feel the weight of him in his hand, the texture, the way it makes Jace suck in a breath fast and shallow as he tries to hold absolutely still, as if Alec would stop if he didn't, as if Alec even knows how to stop now that he knows what it's like to touch Jace, as if he has the patience not to swallow it all down in go, making Jace's head fall back with a laughing yelp.

All the windows fly open, blowing snow and freezing wind inside.

 

Alec doesn’t turn away from Jace or even look up, absently waving a hand behind him, admonishing them to curb their enthusiasm— 

“How did you _do_ that?”

“I don’t know,” Alec hums, not particularly inclined to stop.

“You just moved the windows by waving at them.” It's a little insulting that Jace is forming this many words.

“Mmhm,” his fingers card through the curls of hair at the base of his cock and he swallows down again until Jace is shaking against him, knees buckling so Alec has to put his hands on his hips to press him to the desk. He glances up to see Jace pant down at him, hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, reaching for Alec's his face, touching his cheek, and scrabbling his other hand behind him on the stone column next to his desk, and it _cracks._ Not just the column, the room—the floor. The _walls_ are shaking.

 

The Institute's intruder alarms blare on, but Jace is pulsing into his mouth with gratifying hitches of breath, so Alec doesn't stop until he slumps, sliding down to the floor in front of him.

"Worth it." Jace breathes in deep, "Does it smell like eucalyptus?"

"War room." Alec evades, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, vision swimming just a little, thinking of that time when he caught a seelie going down on Jace as if she didn't need to breathe, the eucalyptus smell of her faerie skin everywhere, and how he might have thought of it when trying not to choke on the length of Jace. "We have to turn off the alarms before they cause mass panic."

-

“No, Raj, I can assure you as head of this institute that I am sure it's not an attack.” The war room is in chaos, everyone having run out here in panic over what seemed like an earthquake or a magical attack.

Izzy narrows her eyes, and Alec avoids looking directly at her.

“Well then what is it?” Raj asks obstinately.

 

“Classified,” Jace comes in to stand behind Alec.

Clary raises a hand to her face and rubs at her eye, conveniently covering any expression. Alec notices out of the corner of his eye that Jace is wearing a sweatshirt with the zipper only halfway up, bare chest showing through. He keeps his gaze resolutely away. 

“Yes, sorry, I’ll let you all know more details as soon as I can. Excuse me,” he grabs Jace’s elbow and steers him towards the weapons room.

-

“Good catch, huh?” Jace is grinning. Alec wants to shove him for that smug look. And then kiss it off his face. He shakes his head, trying to focus.

“We need answers,” he begins without preamble. "I can't--I can't think clearly."

“I’ll ask the silent brothers,” Jace nods, sliding his arm through Alec’s grasp until their hands meet, stroking his thumb over Alec’s palm soothingly.

Alec finds that he’s already leaned his head down to rest it against Jace’s, “You can’t just ask anyone, they’ll be suspicious.”

“I’ll be subtle.” He turns his head so he’s speaking into Alec’s cheek. “I really want to kiss you.”

“We shouldn’t, we have to be careful.” Alec’s voice drops lower despite his words, “Also, you’re terrible at being subtle.”

“That’s just because you’ve never seen me do it—” Is Jace pouting? Alec brings up a hand to touch it and make sure, then jumps back at the sound of the door opening.

 

“Of course you two are in here." Izzy rolls her eyes, "Sorry to interrupt but I need gear for the raid in East Village.”

“Again? Kathra nest?” Jace calls after her, “I’ll come with you.” 

"You can't, Brother Zachariah is arriving soon to check on you, did you forget?" She breezes back out, looking not at all lethal though she is, armed to the teeth with weapons runed invisible.

 

"What?" He turns back to Alec's unabashed staring.

"You," Alec swallows roughly, "You have," waves a hand at the bite marks visible on his torso, especially the large one where his sweatshirt is sliding off his shoulder.

He never thought Jace's face was capable of this--blush high on his cheekbones as he glances down at himself, "The downside of you being such a biter." His tone is teasing but his ears are red and Alec is giddy.

"You liked it," Alec defends.

"I loved it," Jace husks, eyes bright and cheeks dimpling despite his attempt at a straight face, "but we should probably get rid of them before we scandalize the good Brother." He looks down and unzips his sweatshirt, glancing back up with his impossibly long eyelashes, reaching into Alec’s pocket for his stele, “Rune me?”

Alec very nearly drops to his knees again right there at that voice and those half lidded eyes.

He settles for taking his time to kiss each mark individually as he draws tiny iratzes that disappear into Jace's skin.

 


End file.
